CLOSE-UP

What happens if you look at the world through a magnifying glass - the world that is not seen to the eye? To be able to look closely, you need to have patience and passion. That's what you cannot take away from the young photographer Oleg Popov who is engaged in the macro photography of flowers and insects in urban environments.

Macro is when you see on a picture what the eye does not see in reality. The value of the image, first of all, is defined by the plot. Close-ups at high magnifications can show on the picture or on the screen not only the visible details but also the details and structure of an object invisible to the naked eye. This is interesting not only for amateurs, but also for scientists - for active use in various fields of science and technology and for research purposes. That is the field of photography that Popov chose for himself. "Everyone is obsessed about photography, and I want to do something special, something that others do not do," he says. "Macro photography is quite a lengthy process. At the end, I have a very original result - an insect magnified by many times on a flower on an entire magazine page. For example, like this spider which is just five millimetres in the original size," Oleg points to a photograph. "This is a very small spider, and here we see it magnified by 50 times."

More than a profession

You cannot say that this passion came out of nowhere. As a child, like many others, "the macro photographer" loved books about animals and plants, books of Darrell and other authors, and became engaged in macro photography in high school, i.e. back in the 1990s. He rarely photographs something else. "Lifeless things are simply not interesting to photograph, wildlife is more interesting. The task of a good photographer is to notice what others do not notice. In my case, it is nature in the city, the things we pass by and do not even notice - a grasshopper on a pole, butterflies on a leaf," he says.

Macro photography allows you to get away from the reality, the photographer admits. "If some people are running to computer games to get away from their problems, I look into the lens of the reflex camera."

Popov tries to take pictures honestly, because there are a few tricks in macro photography, which he tries to avoid. The interesting thing is that Oleg takes pictures exclusively on film. Fashionable photo filters on the Internet and processing of photos with software on your computer do not testify to professionalism. "I do not use software, do not correct colours and make everything as it is and as it should be in the photo," he says. "The only time I processed a photo, and only slightly, was when a little scratch appeared on the film."

When some people photograph insects, they just catch them, keep them locked up and then photograph them. He prefers to photograph insects in the wild.

"Beauty will save the world!"

No matter where and what part of the city you are in, you have to watch and see the beauty everywhere. That's the main secret of the photographer. "In order to make good pictures, it is necessary to walk a lot and look out. I made photos on the boulevard, in the centre of Baku, and in the university when I studied there," he says. Sometimes, the photographer admits, you can find something very beautiful in a vacant lot. The main thing is to watch! "Sometimes weeds grow, but no one notices them. Let's assume that caseweed grows, it is beautiful and yellow, and you know that the insect on it will look very good on the picture," he says. And here, as they say, it's important not to miss a shot, quickly uncover the camera, screw the rings, put up the light and take a picture. "So I come to a vacant lot and begin to observe. From aside, it seems that it's empty there, and if you look closely, you can find a 'lost world' - a beetle, ladybug, caterpillar and butterfly," Oleg says. Talking about technical secrets, the photographer believes it is better to shoot in good light as the colour depth will be higher and less grainy.

Popov took pictures of insects in the regions of Azerbaijan, mainly in Samaxi and Pirqulu, as well as in forest areas: "Of course, both plants and insects in regions are different from those in the city, because, in fact, Baku almost does not have its own vegetation. All that is here is imported. For example, flowers in the regions are wild and are not as bright and big as in those in the city."

As for insects, in the regions, according to the photographer, their number is much higher than in the city. "In the city there are butterflies - the admiral, brimstone and white butterfly, also called cabbage white butterfly, and the painted lady. But as people say, there used to be more butterflies before." In the regions you can capture very rare species on camera sometimes. "In the small woods near Samaxi, I've seen endemic beetles, species of bugs, the borer and the rare cicada. Alas, such insects do not exist in the city, and there are no cicadas at all here. Even the wild bees in the region stand out for their diversity," he said.

The Red Book of Azerbaijan, among other things, includes 11 species of insects that live only in our area. That's what the photographer says about it. "In fact, coming across a rare insect is big luck. The thing is that there are more than one million species of insects, whereas, for example, there are only five thousand species of mammals. Imagine that every day some species disappear without a trace, and it is very difficult to monitor this. In general, in order to see and take pictures of a really rare insect, you should spend years in the region."

Features of macro photography

You have to get used to insects, and Oleg did it. "At first, when you see a spider or a cicada in close-up, with all their fibres and chelicerae (mouth parts of spiders and the like - editor), of course, it makes you feel scared," the photographer says. "Initially, it was hard enough. For example, I photographed a cicada crawling out of the cocoon. I should tell you, in close-up, when you look through the lens, the cocoon looks disgusting." After that, you are not afraid of any spider, Oleg admitted.

In Baku, the main problem is the wind. The thing is that in macro photography the picture is very sensitive to motion. If you slightly move your hand, the object quickly goes out of the frame. In a strong wind, it is difficult to catch the desired image. There is such a thing as the "depth of sharpness". This is the same range of the distance at which an object can be seen clearly. During macro photography in a strong wind, this range is difficult to catch. To this end, you have to put the right number of rings (a feature of shooting on film - author) very quickly, one after another, adjust the camera, and during this time, the butterfly can fly away and the spider can escape. "While photographing on film, you do not always know exactly how the picture will come out and whether it will be sharp enough. I go to the developing room and participate in a kind of lottery. Sometimes I take a digital photograph. Of course, there are no such problems with a digital camera."